We always complain how everything around us is adulterated, the food we eat the water we drink and the air we breathe. We complain about pollution, adulteration, the government and our problems, we complain and don’t do anything to change our situation; unlike Arun Anand. A retired engineer and a resident of Indore, Arun grows his own food on his terrace garden and should be an inspiration for everyone out there.
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Arun Anand, is a retired 70 year old engineer who graduated from IIT Roorkee in 1971 and went on to work in Russia, Egypt, and Georgia (USA). After coming across the works of F William Engdahl in his book Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation- that speaks about how genetically modified (GM) seed and plants are contributing to our digressing health- and a separate study that talked about GM seed’s contribution to leading cancer cases, Arun decided to grow his own vegetables.
Five years ago, after his retirement Arun started his own garden after collecting heirloom seeds from USA and ‘Navdanya’ a farm of Indian scholar and environmental activist- Vandana Shiva, based in Dehradun. Arun stresses the importance of using only these seeds to grow rich and unadulterated crops in an interview with The Better India.
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In the interview he also stresses the importance of using Vermicompost (compost created with dry leaves, food peels, organic waste and infested with earth worms), Vermiwash (liquid obtained after washing the worms, the excreta and mucus has vitamis, hormones micro and macro nutrients) and panchgavya (a mixture of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd, jaggery, ghee, banana, tender coconut and water) in growing organic foods.
Arun grows a variety of fruits including pomegranate, orange, custard apple,strawberry, chiku, papaya and figs, veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, tomatoes, celery, radish, carrot, beans and gourd, he also grows several herbs including, basil, parsley, garlic chives and coriander.
He also says that his 1200 sq ft terrace garden is more than sufficient for his own needs and the yield is so good that he, sometimes has to give away the fruits and veggies to his friends and neighbours.
What an inspiring man and what an inspiring way of life, people like remind us everyday that if change is what we require in our lives a simple step is all we require to do it. A sustainable life isn’t something that can’t be achieved, it is a reality that can be achieved by following simple steps.
